The Latter Rain Movement of '48

"Although neglected in scholarly literature, the Latter Rain foreshadowed themes that emerged [in] the 1970s to the early 2000s.... Latter Rain participants - ousted by the Pentecostal denominations - became a diaspora of the Spirit" - The Cambridge Companion to Pentecostalism, 2014

don't miss a thing ...

scroll all the way to the bottom and see LARGE, hard-to-find photos of the Pembertons, Earl Lee, Mom Beall, and others!

Saturday, 20 July 2019

In the Latter Rain Movement, we were blessed to have many outstanding, anointed preachers, but like other groups within the Body of Christ, we did not have many that, after 45 - 60 minutes of preaching, left you saying, "Man, I wish he would've kept going." Because of their giftedness, which usually included eloquence and clarity, the time flew too quickly when these preachers spoke.

Most importantly, he was heavily anointed by the Lord, but that anointing was accentuated by his keen intellect, sense of humor, teaching ability, and love for people.

Pastor Beall went to be with the Lord in 2013, and very sadly - and surprisingly - there is almost no public access to recordings of his preaching. You can hear sermons and teaching by many of his ministerial peers of that era (e.g., Charles Green, Ern Baxter, Bob Mumford, Winston Nunes, Kevin Conner, Fuchsia Pickett, David Schoch, and even his mother). But, until this post, there has not been any free recording of Pastor Beall available on the internet. To my knowledge, there are only two recordings of his preaching for sale on the internet! (There is some hope for the future, though, as the church he pastored is preparing an archive of his materials, but that has been in the planning since last spring, and I am told by the church that it is not likely to be available this year, either.)

Well, fortunately the talk that he gave to a Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship convention back in 1973 is now available - and it's vintage James Lee Beall! In his inimitable style, he tells the story of how his mother came to the Lord and how she started a Sunday School for children that grew into a church of thousands. It is truly a faith-building talk as many of the incidents he relates are miraculous, and true to his style, much of the talk is very humorous. The audio recording is available in two parts and here are the links:

Unfortunately, a few minutes of the talk did not survive the editing process, and if you would like to purchase the entire presentation on one uninterrupted CD, you can do so at this link.

I have listened to the talk several times and enjoyed it so much that I have purchased copies for friends. If you loved the ministry of the Lord through James Lee Beall (and love the history of Bethesda Missionary Temple), you will love this talk!

[UPDATE 7/20/19 - I forgot to mention that there is one other place that a couple of sermons by Pastor Beall (and several other Latter Rain Movement preachers) can be heard for free. It's the CLife Ministries web page (see the Audio Archive).]

That church, Bethesda Missionary Temple, experienced intense revival for almost four years (you can read more details at this link) and went on to be one of the largest churches in the Detroit area for decades. (It is currently known as, Bethesda Christian Church, and its 3,000-seat sanctuary is situated on a lovely 92-acre property in Sterling Heights, Michigan.)

As the Latter Rain revival blazed on at Bethesda, Sister Pat and her husband, Pete, had two more little boys (one in 1950 and the other in 1951), but she made time to assist her mother in the ministry. In 1951, the church started a monthly publication called the Latter Rain Evangel and she was the editor.

The Gruits added a fourth and final son in 1956, and in the decades that followed she left an indelible ministry legacy that included writing a catechism, Understanding God & His Covenants (with over one million copies in circulation), as well as, the founding of a mission in Haiti, RHEMA International.

On Saturday, June 15, Sister Pat passed from this life into the presence of the Lord she so dearly loved and faithfully served (Charisma News' obituary for her can be read at this link). She was 96 at her passing.

Although the highlights of her ministry have been previously presented on this blog (at this link), a tribute about her on Facebook seemed to capture her essence in a way that a mere recitation of events cannot. The author of that tribute, Ruth Simpson Betley, has graciously given her permission for it to be published here as well.

Here's what Ruth wrote:

"Prior to leaving Michigan, I traveled with Sister Pat as her unlikely companion and she became like a mother to me.

"There will never be another like her. She was truly a General. She carried an 'unsolicited' God-given authority that was recognizable everywhere we went and made people automatically treat her with the respect reserved for someone of great importance, even though they may not have had the vaguest notion of who she was.

"This godly woman truly lived what she preached. She read her Bible daily and spent time with her God in prayer. First, she would enter His court with praise and thanksgiving, then she would unselfishly petition Him about certain situations or for the needs of those she was bringing before Him - and she always spent that quiet time listening to what He wanted to say back to her. What a wonderful and personal relationship she had with Him. She truly spent her life putting Him first and serving Him.

"Her mother had taught her that when asked to go to churches to speak, never go out with a message that had been given at another place and time. We called it 'Yesterday's Manna'. She was always to seek God for a fresh Word for that particular service and those particular people and not use a previous message unless He told her to do so. Sometimes, prior to a speaking engagement, her office would be contacted by the church or group wanting to know what she would be speaking on so they could put it in their bulletin. Her staff would always say that she would be bringing an anointed Word. Many times we would go out and she would not have the Word God wanted her to speak. We would be in the hotel room the night before she was to preach and she would start feeling the pressure because He had not yet given her the message. All of a sudden, God would wake her in the middle of the night and tell her what He wanted her to say. The Word would end up hitting to the depths and would apply to everyone in the service, even though all of them had different situations and needs in their lives. They would be weeping before God after dropping to their knees at their seats or going forth to kneel at the altars. It was incredible how He used her to reach and minister to people.

"Oh, and what a teacher she was! Sitting in her classes, the students, whether they were young or adults, would be mesmerized by the anointed Word she was teaching from the books God had given her to write.

"We prayed together, laughed together, and she loved to share the wonderful stories about her life with me. She kept a treasured binder with a transcription of every prophecy that had been spoken over her, in the order they had been given. Periodically, she would have me sit in her home office and read every one of them to her so she could once again hear them being spoken aloud. She would listen intently, and as they were read, the words of the prophecies would become just as powerful and anointed as the day they were spoken over her. She would then celebrate every Word and rejoice in what the Lord had done in her life, thanking Him for being faithful to the promises He had made to her, the ministries He had called her to, and for faithfulness to her family. I can see her now as she would laugh and rejoice with her hands held high.

"Folks, Reverend Patricia Gruits was the real deal!

"Goodnight Mother, we'll see you in the morning."

*** Another tribute to Sister Pat, written by one of her daughters-in-law, Joy Gruits, can be read at this link.

(2) according to Robert K. Burkinshaw, "Branham had attracted overflow crowds to Vancouver's Exhibition Garden in late 1947 with what appeared to many to be genuine demonstrations of miraculous powers of insight and physical healing. The 'North Battleford brethren' (as they came to be known) and many others viewed the events of the Branham meetings as evidence that old-time Pentecostal power and fervour could be revived" (Pilgrims in Lotus Land: Conservative Protestantism in British Columbia, 1917 - 1981)

Jim Watt

Jim Watt, one of the original seven elders in North Battleford says, "Some years later Winston Nunes (now deceased) sought me out as the last living elder of the seven. He sought confirmation to his theory that William Branham, J. E. Stiles and Franklin Hall were the three catalysts that God used to launch the 1948 Northern Canada Revival. I agreed that these three were certainly key principles that motivated the prayer and fasting that birthed this move. But I pointed out that there were other principles equally critical. There was the Presbytery revelation itself; the 5-fold ministry emphasis of Ephesians 4:11-12; the high point of worship through the Heavenly Choir; the 'team spirit' operating within the eldership; the humility and teachability of the leadership; the sensitivity to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit."

Ern Baxter, a Vancouver pastor who was asked to be the local head of the Branham meetings, was persuaded to begin traveling with the evangelist when he left Vancouver, "At the time, I was pastor of a large church, and obtained leave from them, joining Branham in Ashland, Oregon. I started to travel with him as often as I could be away from my church. One year I was away eight months.... I was with Branham from 1947 until I had to leave him, in about 1953 or 1954."

Ernest Gentile writes, "Branham is considered by many the initiator and pacesetter of the healing revivals in 1947, as well as the precursor of the entirely separate Latter Rain movement of 1948."

(3) Jonas Clark reported, "Sometime later the Hawtins called the ministry team and student body to join them in fasting. The students fasted for three weeks. Ernie Hawtin fasted for 40 days. At the end of the fast they gathered together in prayer where the Holy Spirit fell on Brother Ernie in a mighty way. He was an uneducated, simple man that God anointed as a prophet. During this meeting he prophesied for about 30 minutes speaking of a coming revival and the gifts of the Holy Spirit being restored and received by the laying on of hands and prophecy. After this George Hawtin sent everyone to their dorms to search the Scriptures. When they came back the next day they all pointed to the Scriptures in Timothy where Paul speaks of Timothy receiving the gifts of the Spirit by the laying on of hands and prophecy. After this the Hawtins began to lay hands and prophesy over the students and others. That was February 12, 1948."

Violet Kiteley wrote, "In 1948 people were drawn to an old, dilapidated Word War II hangar in an

Violet Kiteley

obscure location in subzero weather. There was no heater, only an old cook stove. The services began daily at 5 a.m. and lasted 10 to 12 hours. No meals were served. This was before the days of television and computers, and there was no media coverage. Yet people came from all over Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Scandinavia, the British Isles and India. Some people claimed they saw prophetic messages in the sky or had dreams and visions that led them to participate in this new movement. Some said they had supernaturally received the address and location of this outpouring and were compelled by the Holy Ghost to go and see for themselves."

One of Kiteley's former congregants, Dennis Balcombe (who went on to become an outstanding missionary to China), writes in his brand new book that "the Holy Spirit did come on them in a big way on February 12, 1948. That very day, many received the gift of healing. A person with a stammer stood up and smoothly delivered a lengthy prophecy on spiritual revival that was about to break out. In the prophecy God said He would restore four areas of spiritual life to the churches before Jesus returned. The four areas were unity, spiritual gifts, praise and worship, and global evangelism. After that, starting with North Battleford, many experienced healing from sickness. Believers met daily and continued to do so for some time." (China's Opening Door: Incredible Stories of the Holy Spirit's Work in the Underground Church)

(4) James Watt wrote, "they held a conference in July of 1948 at North Battleford. Most of the Canadian Provinces were represented, with some 40 of the States of the USA, plus representatives from several other countries. Never will those days be forgotten! God took lives apart and then put them together again with a vision, purpose and anointing that none could doubt. Seven elders functioned together in team spirit under the leadership of George R. Hawtin, God's undisputed leader at that time."

Jonas Clark says, "News of the outpouring spread like wildfire among the Pentecostals throughout Canada, the United States and to Brother Layzell. When Reg Layzell attended the camp-meeting he experienced first hand the Latter Rain. He saw people receive personal prophetic ministry and the ministry of the laying on of hands to receive the gifts of the Spirit. This encounter with the Holy Spirit at this meeting had a tremendous impact on Layzell's life and ministry."

(5) Ern Baxter said of the week-long meetings, "I never saw such a tremendous concentration of the power of God." James Watt described the powerful sound of the corporate worship this way, "Heaven's very strains filled the whole church. It was as a mighty organ, with great swelling chords, and solo parts weaving in and out, yet with perfect harmony."

(6) Richard Riss reports that M. D. Beall wrote, "Everything we saw in the meetings was scriptural and beautiful. We left the meeting with a new touch of God upon our souls and ministry. We certainly feel transformed by the power of God. Never in our lives had we ever felt the power of God as we do now and we feel we are carrying something back to our assembly we never had before"(A Survey of 20th-Century Revival Movements in North America)

Jonas Clark says that Reg Layzell had "asked the Hawtin brothers to minister at his church in Vancouver. The duo agreed and came to Glad Tidings Temple with several others. These men formed the prophetic presbytery team and held meetings from November 8 to 22. This prophetic team offered personal prophecy and impartation to many believers at the church including Hugh and Audrey Layzell, several pastors and others who came from different parts of British Columbia and Washington State. These candidates had spent at least three days in prayer and fasting preparing themselves to receive prophecy and the ministry of the laying on of hands. During the services they would sit on the first row of the church until such a time as the prophetic team felt the unction of the Holy Spirit to minister to them. Then they would call them forward and prophesy."

Moses Vegh wrote, "At that meeting the word of the Lord given to 'Mom' Beall, through the prophetic presbytery, was a powerful confirmation of all that the Lord had spoken to her about the 'armory' in Detroit" (The Chronicles of Moses: Acts of an Apostolic Journey)

Hugh Layzell

Hugh Layzell confirms the story this way: "After a day or two, the brethren agreed to minister to her in presbytery. Audrey and I remember this incident very well. As soon as she knelt before the presbyters, Ern Hawtin began to prophesy. He said, (something like this) 'Has not the Lord called you to build for Him an armory, where His last day army will be trained and equipped with the gifts of the Spirit in order to take the gospel to the ends of the earth in these last days?' This was, in effect, the very word she had received from the Lord concerning the Church in Detroit" (Sons of His Purpose: The Interweaving of the Ministry of Reg Layzell, and His Son, Hugh, During a Season of Revival)

(7) according to Bethesda's website, "December 5, 1948 was a turning point in the [life] of every Bethesdan. That Sunday morning everyone was gathered for church in the basement building. Opening the service, James Beall asked everyone to stand, and suddenly everyone in the building started singing praises to God in the Spirit .... this continued for about an hour. People were saved, filled with the Holy Spirit and healed in their bodies during this time. As the praise subsided a new song was born.

'This is the promise of the coming latter rain, Lift up your eyes behold the ripening grain. Many signs and wonders in His might name, Drink, oh drink, My people for this is latter rain.'

"That Sunday marked the beginning of what came to be known as the Latter Rain Revival."

(8) according to Richard Riss, "Mrs. Beall wrote a letter to Stanley Frodsham, a pioneer of the early Pentecostal movement at the turn of the century, a leader of the Assemblies of God denomination, and the editor of the Pentecostal Evangel for twenty-eight years. In her letter, Mrs. Beall described what was happening in her church, and Frodsham decided to leave Springfield, Missouri to visit the church in Detroit. He arrived in January of 1949, and 'he was swept away by the revival taking place in Detroit.... He was moved deeply by scenes of people under great conviction of sin, making confession and finding peace'" (A Survey of 20th-Century Revival Movements in North America)

(9) from Bethesda's website, "on February 13, 1949 the main sanctuary [seating 1,800] was dedicated. When the doors opened, it was immediately filled and at least 1,700 people were turned away. Services were held night and day for the next three and one half years."

Wyatt of Portland, Oregon, invited the Hawtin party to his church, Wings of Healing Temple, where George Hawtin and Milford Kirkpatrick ministered to ninety preachers from almost every part of North America. One of the pastors attending was Dr. A. Earl Lee of Los Angeles, California, whose church became a center of revival soon after he returned."

(11) according to William Faupel, "The meetings were conducted 15-17 [that is a typographical error; the dates were 5 -17] July 1949. The local newspaper, The North Battleford News, took note, 'Hundreds of visitors from every part of the prairie provinces, from the North West Territories, and from many parts of the United States, including as far so as Alabama ... are arriving daily.... North Battleford hotels and cafes are crowded ... with visitors,' It concluded that close to 3,000 attended the meetings, returning 'to their various places refreshed and ready to go on with their work with new vigor'" (Winds from the North: Canadian Contributions to the Pentecostal Movement)

(13) Ivan Q. Spencer was the founder of Elim Bible Institute in Lima, NY. Richard Riss quotes the following from Spencer's editorial, "We sometimes find expressions, either spoken or written, that some organization or group of Christian people claims to be the custodians of certain revelations of truth that they are the recipients of special blessings and experiences from the Lord. By so doing, self is exalted and others belittled.... Some claim the Latter Rain outpouring fell on them nearly fifty years ago and because of this they are the custodians of this mighty move of God. Others, who have come into this present spiritual awakening, may feel that the Latter Rain is exclusively theirs. Such an attitude is clear evidence of the fact that they have not received a revelation of the truth God is bringing at this time of the oneness of the body of Christ, namely that all are one, regardless of denomination or organization affiliation...." (Latter Rain: The Latter Rain Movement of 1948 and the Mid-Twentieth Century Evangelical Awakening)

He recalls, "From the age of nine to twelve we traveled the West Coast, with our first revival meetings in the Los Angeles area. We preached everywhere from tent meetings in North Hollywood to the Philharmonic Auditorium, the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium, and the Angelus Temple. Thousands attended those meetings with hundreds receiving Christ as their personal Savior and many testifying to being healed of various illnesses.

"From Los Angeles we traveled up the coast to Oregon and Washington where I continued to preach. Those were the days of the great 'healing revivals.' Being so very young, I did not understand all that was happening in the church realm. All I knew was that a wonderful visitation of the Power of God was taking place. I was teamed with ministers such as William Branham, Thomas Wyatt, Ma Beall, Chaplain Ray, The McAllisters, and the Argue family" (The Journey: Walking with the Walkers)

Little David draws 12,000 in Detroit

He would have been 15 or 16 years old when Bethesda sponsored his meetings. Walker writes, "Also in 1950, twelve thousand people filled the fairgrounds for meetings in Detroit, Michigan. The newspaper reported visible miracles in this crusade" (The Journey: Walking with the Walkers)﻿﻿

(16) according to Dennis McClendon in the July 1, 1951 edition of the Houston Post, "During the meetings that closed June 17, more than 400 ministers were in attendance. Missionary leaders came from every continent of the globe. Countries represented by delegates included Liberia, India, Canada, China, Australia, Peru and England, the Rev. Mr. [Modest] Pemberton said. The average nightly attendance under the oversized tents exceeded 2,000 persons. There were representatives from every state in the Union - more than 30,000 in all [a cumulative attendance figure for the two-week camp meeting]. 'We had made big plans but the Lord made them even bigger,' the minister said."

(17) this publication marked the fulfillment of a prophecy delivered on January 28, 1949 that a paper called the Latter Rain Evangel would go out from the Bethesda Missionary Temple in Detroit

(18) according to Mark Hutchinson, who quotes Barry Chant on this matter. This article should be read with caution, however, as Hutchinson is inaccurate in places (e.g., he identifies Ivan Spencer as being from Rhode Island [he was from Lima, NY], and he says Thomas Wyatt picked up Latter Rain teachings in Portland, Oregon [Wyatt resided in Portland, OR and was the initial promoter of the LRM there])

(19) the Latter Rain and Charismatic Movements were, for the most part, separate movements but there was overlap and many see the Latter Rain Movement as the precursor of the Charismatic Movement

According to John Sherrill, an Episcopal priest Dennis Bennett "prayed for and received the baptism [in the Holy Spirit]" on November 14, 1959. On April 3, 1960 he told his 2600-member St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Van Nuys, California about his tongues-speaking experience. Sherrill writes, "Newspapers carried the story the next day. The wire services picked it up. Overnight the story swept the country: speaking in tongues had appeared in a decent, ordinary church and had caused strife, division and dissension. Time carried the story. So did Newsweek" (They Speak with Other Tongues).

Dick Iverson states, "The 'latter rain' outpouring, as it was called, became a major stream of the Holy Spirit emphasizing praise and worship (with its power to open the Word), along with prophecy and the laying on of hands. It is within that movement that the roots of the charismatic movement originated" (The Journey: A Lifetime of Prophetic Moments)

Elsewhere Dick Iverson says, "If you know anything about Latter Rain there was a true move of the Holy Spirit and a number of truths that we enjoy today really came out of the Latter Rain move, such as extended free worship in song and praise and the laying on of hands and prophecy" (Guarding the Local Church: Identifying False Ministries).

(21) Peter Jenkins' book about his trek on foot from New York to Louisiana made the New York Times bestseller list. He spends several pages telling about his experience of hearing M. D. Beall speak at Word of Faith Temple in New Orleans. He notes that "Although Mom was over eighty she now looked shot full of the most powerful energy in life" (A Walk Across America).

(22) the NCM was designed to promote unity and fellowship in the Body of Christ. Green invited the participation of not only ministers with Latter Rain roots, but also such ministers as Paul Paino (Calvary Ministries International), Kenneth Copeland (Word-Faith), Charles Simpson (Shepherding/Discipleship), and Bob Weiner (Maranatha campus ministries).

Green told New Wine magazine in December 1985, "The Network of Christian Ministries started in July 1983 when John Gimenez, pastor of Rock Church, Virginia Beach, Virginia, Emanuele Cannistraci, pastor of Evangel Christian Fellowship, San Jose, California, and I began to feel that something positive should be done to reach across barriers and join the different facets of the body of Christ."

(24) Violet Kiteley was present when the revival broke out in North Battleford, Saskatchewan in 1948. A few years ago, she wrote an article about the revival for Charisma's news website. It can be read here. She founded a church in Oakland, California - Shiloh Church - that celebrated its 50th anniversary in September 2015. A video of the celebratory service can be seen here. At her passing on Thanksgiving, November 2015, Cindy Jacobs wrote an eulogizing article on the Charisma news website. It can be read here. Her memorial service is scheduled for December 2 at Shiloh Church.
﻿

Violet's headstone

In a Facebook post on November 27, Bishop Joseph Garlington said of Violet, "A Real Life Pioneer Is Gone!

"Yesterday, Dr. Violet Kiteley, the founder of the great Shiloh Christian Fellowship, now Shiloh Church was summoned home at 1:25 CST. Her prophetic footprint is on so many places on the earth, that they are too numerous to number. Her amazing prophetic anointing was always carried in a vessel of profound humility. Dr. Kiteley’s insight to scripture, her capacity to discern the seasons of the Holy Spirit’s work in the church always positioned her to be on the cutting edge of the Spirit’s work.

"She pioneered the incredible season of emphasis on worship; most of our current worshippers have no idea that Shiloh Christian Fellowship was the fountainhead of the beginning of much that is now called Contemporary worship. The retrieval of the arts and their restoration in the church began decades ago in her church in Northern California.

"Shiloh was one of the early pioneers in cross-cultural and multiracial congregations. Their leadership in the Prophetic Movement that began decades ago, made room for the many churches that are now enjoying the prophetic emphasis in their assemblies. Dr. Kiteley was a true pioneer in every sense of the word as she participated in the earlier move of God that took place in Northwest Canada, often known as The Latter Rain Movement. Hundreds of thousands owe to her life and ministry the benefit of the grace they now enjoy. Churches have been planted in many foreign nations and only heaven will reveal the measure to which the lives of those reading my words have been touched by her life and ministry."

Wednesday, 13 February 2019

This is a photo of the sanctuary of Bethesda Missionary Temple in Detroit.

by Archibald Thackeray
In 1949, this date - February 13 - fell on a Sunday. It was a glorious day for the congregation of Bethesda Missionary Temple in Detroit, Michigan, as it dedicated its new sanctuary located on Van Dyke and Nevada avenues.

Mom Beall

The congregation had already experienced an outbreak of revival (what came to be known as the Latter Rain Revival) two months before on December 5, but the building dedication just took the congregation yet higher in revival blessing - so much so that, from February 13 on, Bethesda was to have services virtually every day for the next three and one-half years! (That is one of the telltale signs of a heaven-sent revival - people want to be in church).

Bethesda's founding pastor M. D. "Mom" Beall wrote about the momentous dedication in her memoir A Hand on My Shoulder [the passages quoted in this article are used by permission from the memoir's editor, Joy Hughes Gruits, and may not be quoted elsewhere without her permission]:

Not only was the Temple filled to capacity with people, but it was also filled with the glory and presence of God. Such singing, such worshiping of God, such prophecies, such supernatural utterances as we heard from the lips of God's ordained ministers will always remain the greatest wonderment of our lives. It seemed the time just flew. People were being saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, confirmed, and delivered. Everyone was ministering to one another. God let us see by actual demonstration before our very eyes the ministry of the Body of Christ. The teaching of the Body of Christ had not been much in evidence up until this time, but God began to teach through His ministers by precept and example the tremendous truths of the hour. Never had we heard such preaching.

The intensity of the revival's impact at Bethesda, the kind of revelation Pastor Beall mentioned in the paragraph above, the seating capacity (1,700+) of its sanctuary, and the giftedness of Bethesda's ministerial staff, all served to put the church in the vanguard of the Latter Rain Revival.

That leadership role had been prophesied when Pastor Beall traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia in November 1948 to hear ministers from Saskatchewan, Canada who had experienced revival at their Bible school earlier that year. She wrote in her memoir,

Among the many things that were prophesied, one part of the prophesy was almost more than I could receive. These men, who had never been to Detroit, who never at any time had seen the building that God called an Armory, a building almost in a state of completion, began to prophesy concerning it.

"They shall come to thee from the ends of the earth and shall go forth from thee as lions equipped as from a mighty Amory."

As many pastors and congregations across the United States - and even the world - could testify, that prophecy certainly came to pass. During the intense three and one-half years of daily revival services that began on February 13, 1949, believers came from the ends of the earth to experience a fresh outpouring of God's Holy Spirit - and went home equipped to minister to a hurting world.

Pentecostal historian Vinson Synan says, "The Pentecostal movement was at a low ebb in 1948, with a growing dryness and lack of charismatic gifts. Many who heard about the events in Canada believed that it was a new Azusa Street, with many healings, tongues and prophecies. A large center of the revival outside of Canada was the Bethesda Missionary Temple in Detroit, Michigan pastored by Myrtle Beale [sic]. From Detroit, the movement spread across the United States like a prairie wildfire" (in An Eyewitness Remembers the Century of the Holy Spirit, Chosen).

[NOTE: Readers will notice that the Detroit Free Press item below mentions a cost of $200,000 and seating of 3,000. Church sources indicate that the cost ended up $350,000 and an editor's note in A Hand on My Shoulder adds, "The actual seating in the sanctuary turned out to be less than 3,000 people - much to Myrtle's dismay. When Bethesda moved from Detroit to Sterling Heights, an essential requirement of the building program was for the sanctuary to seat 3,000 people to fulfill the number God had given Myrtle so long ago." Pastor Beall's full name was Myrtle Dorthea Beall. Her memoir can be purchased in either paperback or Kindle format at this link. It can also be read for free online at this link.]

Tuesday, 26 June 2018

Enjoy this well-produced video of Charles Green talking about revival - the Latter Rain revival in particular. This is no dry recitation of history, though - this is an anointed, faith-building 28 minutes that will increase your hunger for a genuine, heaven-sent revival in our time. Let it begin in your spirit today!

Charles Green founded Word of Faith Temple in New Orleans, Louisiana. He got involved in the Latter Rain revival in 1950 and subsequently traveled to over 50 countries preaching the Gospel.

A native New Zealander, Wheeler embraced the Latter Rain revival when it landed in his part of the world in the late 1940s.

Told of Wheeler's passing, Latter Rain pioneer Charles Green said, "I preached with Rob in Oregon. He also preached one time in our New Orleans church [Word of Faith Temple]. He and Kevin Conner [from Australia] were the best preachers in that part of the world - great Word & Spirit theologians."

Monday, 26 March 2018

Yesterday, a query from a very good friend resulted in the discovery of this helpfully informative video of Jim Watt, one of the original seven elders at the revival site in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, giving an account of the earliest days what became known to many as the Latter Rain revival.

Jim, who died in 2014, gives an insider's candid and, at times, even lighthearted account of the mighty move of God that he was an important part of.

Among the topics he covers are:

Milford Kirkpatrick was the first to be prophesied over in North Battleford

Tuesday, 13 February 2018

What became known as the Latter Rain Movement began 70 years ago this week. The following chronological summary has been designed to give you a sense of how the revival spread. It tells some of the who and when, but very little of the what was - that would require a book. In such a brief account there are unavoidable omissions. The revival was so very much bigger than what is written here - even the other 35,000 words written about the revival on this website do not do it justice. But, I do hope that something of the revival's impact and vitality is communicated because it changed my life and lives of countless others.

1948

FEBRUARY 11 - 14: Revival breaks out at the bible school that was part of the Sharon Orphanage and Schools in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. George Hawtin was the principal of the school and others assisting him in the work included: his brother Ern Hawtin, Percy Hunt, Herrick Holt, Jim Watt, Milford Kirkpatrick, and George Warnock. Not long after the outbreak of revival, Violet Kiteley and Edie Iverson (then Swanson) would get involved with the school.

MARCH 30 - APRIL 4: A Feast of Pentecost camp meeting is held at the school in North Battleford and many will come to see what the revival activity is all about.

JULY 7 -18: Another camp meeting was held in North Battleford, this time drawing even larger crowds. Among those who attended this camp meeting were: Reg Layzell, A. W. Rasmussen (the head of the Independent Assemblies of God International), and James and Phyllis Spiers (Phyllis wrote, "He's the Lord of Glory," and many other popular Latter Rain songs).

OCTOBER 24 - 31: A. W. Rasmussen invited George Hawtin to speak at the Independent Assemblies of God annual convention in Edmonton, Alberta. Hugh Layzell says that Harold Allcock of the Apostolic Church jointly sponsored the meeting with Rasmussen. It is here that the "heavenly choir" was first experienced. Among those in attendance at this convention were Ern Baxter and Joseph Mattsson-Boze. Ern Baxter said of the convention, "I never saw such a concentration of the power of God." Mattsson-Boze, who was editor of the Herald of Faith, returned to his church in Chicago (called the Philadelphia Church) and it became one of the hubs of the revival.

NOVEMBER 14 - 28: Reg Layzell invited George Hawtin and others (including his brother Ern Hawtin, Milford Kirkpatrick, Violet Kiteley, and James and Phyllis Spiers) to speak at a convention at his church in Vancouver, British Columbia, Glad Tidings Temple. Myrtle Beall drove from her church in Detroit, Michigan to these meetings and was prophesied over by Ern Hawtin. His prophecy, in part, said, "They shall come to thee from the ends of the earth and shall go forth from thee as lions equipped from a mighty Armory." This confirmed the word the Lord had spoken to her that the 1,800-seat sanctuary her church was building was going to be an "armory." Winston Nunes was also among those who went to this convention.

DECEMBER 5: In her first service after returning from Vancouver, Pastor Beall and her congregation experienced a dramatic outbreak of revival. A prophetic song delivered that morning identified the outpouring as "latter rain."

DECEMBER 31: Ivan Spencer (the president of Elim Bible Institute in New York) and Stanley Frodsham (the editor of the Assemblies of God's Pentecostal Evangel) were among those who went to Detroit to experience the ongoing revival. Elim would go on to become one of the revival's hubs, and Frodsham would eventually find it necessary to resign his post with the Assemblies of God because that denomination was opposed to the revival.

1949

FEBRUARY 13: Pastor Beall and the Bethesda Missionary Temple congregation in Detroit dedicated their new sanctuary (which was filled to capacity; in fact, an estimated 1,700 people had to be turned away that Sunday morning). From that morning on, services were held twice a day, six days a week, for 3 1/2 years! At least two other churches experienced the revival so strongly that they, too, were having daily services throughout 1949: Immanuel Gospel Temple in Los Angeles, California (pastored by Earl and Rhoda Lee) and Third Church in St. Louis, Missouri (pastored by Omar Johnson). Among the myriad ministers that flocked to Bethesda during these intense revival years were Moses Vegh and Paul Stern, who both went on to have significant ministries not only in the United States but internationally, as well.

FEBRUARY 24:Thomas Wyatt, the pastor of Wings of Healing Temple in Portland, Oregon, had George Hawtin and others speak at a convention there - and the meetings went on for three weeks. About 90 ministers were among the congregants (including Earl Lee). Additionally, the revival was spread over the radio because Wyatt had a program that was broadcast on 64 stations. Paul and Mildred Cannon were students at the Bethesda Bible Institute, which was part of the Wings of Healing ministry.

FEBRUARY 27: Upon returning to his church in Los Angeles, Earl Lee and his congregation began daily services because of the outbreak of revival among them. David Schoch was among the ministers that came into the Latter Rain Movement via Immanuel Gospel Temple. Schoch's parents had been part of the Azusa Street Revival.

APRIL 20: The Assemblies of God sent out a special six-page letter to the ministers in its fellowship, criticizing the revival.

JUNE:Global Missions Inc. in North Battleford began shortwave international radio broadcasts about the revival.JULY 5 - 17: Another camp meeting was held in North Battleford. The local newspaper reported that hundreds came from across the United States and Canada, and that North Battleford had "never witnessed anything quite like it." Ray Jackson, a missionary, attended this camp meeting and was instrumental in the Latter Rain revival being spread to New Zealand and Australia.

NOVEMBER 5: Stanley Frodsham resigned as a minister of Assemblies of God, ending a 33-year career with that denomination.

DECEMBER 20: The Assemblies of God's quarterly ministers' letter notes that Myrtle Beall, Vera Bachle, and Paul and Lura Grubb, had all been "dropped" from the AG's ministers list. Vera Bachle was the evangelist that first told Pastor Beall about the revival in Canada. Paul and Lura Grubb were Latter Rain pastors in Memphis, Tennessee.

1950

JANUARY: Ivan Spencer wrote an editorial in the Elim Pentecostal Herald entitled, "Who Are the Custodians of the Latter Rain?", that cautioned both classical Pentecostals and Latter Rain adherents to avoid an attitude that they held some sort of exclusive 'rights' to the move of God.

APRIL: Pastor Beall speaks at Sabine Tabernacle in Beaumont, Texas pastored by Harry Hodge. Charles Green, who later pastored the large Word of Faith Temple in New Orleans, Louisiana, met Pastor Beall for the first time, beginning a decades-long friendship. Green was among the speakers at Beall's memorial service in 1979.

JULY: Reg Layzell headed up annual meetings at a camp in Crescent Beach, British Columbia. This year's camp was Ernest Gentile's first exposure to the Latter Rain Movement.

NOVEMBER 8 - 15: What Latter Rain historian William Faupel refers to as the first "National Latter Rain Convention" was held in St. Louis. Thomas Wyatt gave the convention's concluding message, which was a strong challenge to carry out world missions.

1951

JUNE: The Pemberton brothers of Texas (Modest, Wayne, and Garlon) sponsored the South and Dixie Camp Meeting. Thousands came for this two-week camp meeting - they came from not only from the United States, but from across the globe. Countries represented included Liberia, China, Australia, Peru, England, India, and Canada. Modest Pemberton estimated the cumulative attendance at more than 30,000 (part of the basis for his estimate was meal service). Pastor Beall and Charles Green preached at this event.

JULY: The first issue of the monthly Latter Rain Evangel was published by the Bethesda Missionary Temple in Detroit.

AUGUST: An example of the many missions efforts undertaken following (and preceding, as well) Wyatt's convention message was the one this month that involved Reg Layzell, Don Murphy, Joseph Mattsson-Boze, and Wyatt going to Sweden.

[There were, of course, many, many more meetings, ministers, and blessings than I have recorded here. But, these highlights give a general sense of how the revival spread.]

Moses Vegh addressing the Washington for Jesus rally on the National Mall in 1980 by Archibald Thackeray Moses Vegh, who is the head o...

James Beall tells Bethesda's history

Pastor James Lee Beall recalls the history of the church his mother founded - Bethesda Missionary Temple - in this talk given at a FGBMFI convention in Washington, DC in the 70s. ***Click on image*** for info on purchasing.

"Singing in the Spirit"

*** Click on the image *** to link to an article by Dr. Richard Riss that explains singing in the Spirit and the phenomenon in the Latter Rain revival known as, "the heavenly choir."

Kevin Conner (1927 - 2019)

The Australian author and Bible teacher Kevin Conner went to be with the Lord February 18, 2019. *** Click on image *** to access audio recordings of his Bible teaching.

Kevin Conner's autobiography

Conner experienced the LRM in Sydney, Australia in 1951. He pastored the Waverly Christian Fellowship in Melbourne. An author of several books, he also taught for many years at Portland Bible College in Oregon.

Barbara Green (1933 - 2018)

Barbara Green went to be with the Lord on September 10, 2018. She and her husband Charles started Word of Faith Temple in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1953. Under the Green's 57-year leadership, that church went on to be the largest in the city. *** Click on image *** to see the slideshow that was shown at her memorial service

Word of Faith Temple, New Orleans, Louisiana

5600 Read Boulevard location

Garlon & Modest Pemberton, Houston, TX

The brothers were both gifted speakers, and they pastored in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. They also were hosts of the Dixie Camp Meetings that drew people from across the globe.

Carl Neal, Baton Rouge, LA

Known for powerful preaching and prophecies, he pastored Evangel Temple.

Memorial service for M. D. Beall

***Click on image*** to hear the audio recording of the memorial service held for M. D. Beall on September 21, 1979. Speakers included Latter Rain pioneers Garlon Pemberton and Charles Green, as well as, Mom Beall's children: Patricia Beall Gruits, James Lee Beall, and Harry Beall.

A Hand on My Shoulder

***Click on image*** to link to the autobiography of M. D. Beall, A Hand on My Shoulder

The Layzells of Vancouver

Hugh Layzell (Reg Layzell's son) writes about his family's important role in the revival in Canada in the mid-twentieth century, plus its overseas missions activity.

Stanley Frodsham, Springfield, MO

When the Latter Rain revival broke out Frodsham was the editor of the Assembly of God's Pentecostal Evangel. Myrtle Beall invited him to see the revival's impact in her Detroit church. Frodsham was so convinced of the revival's validity that eventually it became untenable for him to remain in the AG, which did not approve the revival. *** Click on image *** to hear the audio of a sermon - "As Rain Upon the Mown Grass" - delivered by Frodsham at an Elim Bible Institute camp meeting in July 1967.

Thomas Wyatt, Portland, OR

A pastor known for his Wings of Healing radio broadcast. He was one of the elder statesmen of the Latter Rain Movement and was instrumental in the revival's missions impetus.

Max Wyatt, Salem, OR

Max, the son of Thomas Wyatt, pastored Faith Tabernacle in Salem and also served as a missionary to Africa.

Winston Nunes, Tacoma, WA

Encountered Latter Rain activity in Vancouver in 1948. Went on to pastor in Toronto, Canada. Recognized as an outstanding Bible teacher.

Ivan Q. Spencer's biography

Willow in the Wind: A Spiritual Pilgrimmage by Marion Meloon chronicles the life of the founder of Elim Bible Institute. Spencer was one of the LRM's elder statesmen.

Elim Bible Institute, Lima, NY

Elim was founded by Ivan Q. Spencer in 1924. It has been known over the decades for its integrity, missions emphasis, spirituality, and a desire for true unity in body of Christ.

Alton Earl Lee, Los Angeles, CA

Pastored Immanuel Gospel Temple and was known for ministering the gift of healing. Both he and his wife Rhoda were powerfully effective preachers.

Violet Kiteley, Oakland, CA

She was present in the early days of the revival outbreak in North Battleford. She pastored an influential church in Oakland. Among other things, Violet is remembered for her pioneering leadership in worship symposiums.

E. Charlotte Baker, Seattle, WA

Charlotte and Violet Kiteley did street ministry together at Glad Tidings in Vancouver, pastored by Reg Layzell. She went on to pastor King's Temple in Seattle. She also helped to establish a Bible school in Ghana. Well-known for her prophetic parables. Photo provided by Gary and Louise Short.

Edie Iverson, Portland, Oregon

Attended the bible school in North Battleford during the second year of the revival. Pastored Bible Temple in Portland with her husband, Dick. She was the author of two well-known choruses - Thanks be to God and The Lord Reigneth.

Rozella & Leonard Fox, San Bernardino, CA

Leonard pastored in California and was involved in African missions. He is remembered as a great preacher.

Longest-living LR minister

Currently 102 years old and living in Atlanta, Donald Murphy formerly pastored in Miami. *** Click on image *** to hear a recording of Donald prophesying and then reminiscing about how he came to be involved in the LRM. Photo is the property of Larry Davis, Marietta, Georgia.

A. W. Rasmussen, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Founder of the Independent Assemblies of God International. Host of a Latter Rain convention in Edmonton in October 1948. Ern Baxter said of that convention, "I never saw such a concentration of the power of God."

Joseph Mattsson-Boze, Chicago, IL

A native of Sweden, he pastored the Philadelphia Church in Chicago. Edited the Herald of Faith magazine that merged with Gerald Derstine's Harvest Time magazine.

Revival Artifacts ...

***Click on image*** to go to another of my websites, Revival Artifacts, which features Latter Rain Movement ministers, plus Charismatics like Jamie Buckingham, Bob Mumford, and Mark Rutland, and Pentecostals like Jack Hayford

Moses Vegh's autobiography

Vegh pastored for many years in Findlay, Ohio. When he met his wife Betty she was a member of the Bethesda Missionary Temple. Moses relates how he traveled the world preaching, even praying personally for Boris Yeltsin.

Ernest Gentile, San Jose, CA

Ernest first experienced the LRM as a 20-year-old at Crescent Beach, BC in 1950. Ernest is the author of several edifying and enlightening books. He and his wife Anna pastor in New Mexico.

Includes LRM history

The author, Ernest Gentile, first experienced the revival in British Columbia in 1950. Gentile is both a prophet and a teacher. He tells about M. D. Beall saying he is a "seer". This book is a splendid resource for the study of prophecy.

Latter Rain affects China!

Includes a chapter entitled, "The Latter Rain Movement and China's Revival". Balcombe was prophesied over by Reg Layzell, Violet Kiteley, and David Schoch. Schoch said in 1963 that Balcombe would minister in Red China - he did, beginning in 1978!

Dennis & Kathy Balcombe, China

Violet Kiteley, Reg Layzell, and David Schoch all prophesied over Dennis Balcombe. In 1963, Schoch said Balcombe would ministry in Red China - and beginnning in 1978 he did!

missions in West Africa

Paul Cannon shares how revival came to West Africa. This is a thrilling story of God's love and his power to deliver.

Paul & Mildred Cannon, Decatur, IL

Missionaries to West Africa & pastors in the United States. In 1953, Paul graduated from Thomas Wyatt's Bethesda Bible Institute.

Sixto Lopez, Latin America

Sixto utilized radio broadcasting in his missions to Cuba and Colombia. He and Carlton Spencer and other Elim ministers traveled to Detroit in February 1949 to witness the revival services. Part of his report of the services was the "brokenness, yieldedness ... and a flow of love and fellowship" that they experienced.

Vera Ludlum Bachle, Detroit, MI

Vera told Myrtle Beall about a revival that was taking place in Canada in 1948, and they both went to Vancouver in November to see for themselves what was happening. She was an evangelist who preached in all 50 states and in every Canadian province.

Mom & Pop Beall, Detroit, MI

Mom Beall was the founder of the Bethesda Missionary Temple, and she and her family provided leadership for many ministries that sought the Lord in revival. The anointing that was on her preaching and praying is unforgettable.

M. D. Beall - FULL obituary

*** Click on image *** to read the Detroit Free Press' full obituary for Mom Beall that ran in the FP September 21, 1979 edition.

M. D. Beall obituary (small portion)

Detroit News (September 21, 1979)

Patricia Beall Gruits, Detroit, MI

Gruits, the daughter of Latter Rain pioneer M. D. 'Mom' Beall, founded RHEMA International, an educational and medical mission in Haiti, with her late husband, J. Peter Gruits. She is the author of the best-selling catechism, Understanding God.

Classic LRM catechism

Over ONE MILLION copies of Patricia Beall Gruits' catechism have been distributed.

James Lee Beall, Detroit, MI

James Beall was one of the most sought after speakers in both the Latter Rain Movement and the Charismatic Movement. He preached on all the continents but Antartica.

An interview with James Lee Beall

***Click on image*** to read the complete interview James Lee Beall gave to Pathfinders in 1983

has commentary by James Lee Beall

Three of the contributors have LRM connections - James Lee Beall (commentary on the Pastoral Epistles), Dick Iverson (commentary on the Psalms), and Charles Green (an article on "The Pathway of Praise and Worship"). This study bible was edited by Jack Hayford. *click on image* to view an excerpt from the Book of Genesis.

Harry M. Beall, Detroit, MI

An associate pastor and minister of music at Bethesda Missionary Temple. His rich baritone voice was utilized both as a soloist and a worship leader.

Eleanor & Paul Stern, Kenya

Paul and his wife Eleanor were missionaries sent out from Bethesda Missionary Temple. They later pastored in Danville, Illinois.

The Stallwoods, Nigeria

Bruce, Lucinda, and sons were missionaries sent out from Bethesda Missionary Temple.

Owen Shackett, Tacoma, WA

This is Owen's 1951 graduation photo from the Bethesda Bible Institute in Detroit. He went on to pastor the large People's Church in Tacoma.

Ollie McCubbin, Sandusky, Ohio

Sent out from the Bethesda Missionary Temple to pastor in Sandusky.

Elton Weatherly, Ypsilanti, MI

Founded Bethesda Bible Church (now, Bethesda Church) in 1961 with his wife, Judith.

Fred Poole, Philadelphia, PA

Originally from Wales, Poole pastored Philadelphia Gospel Temple, one of the earliest churches to embrace the Latter Rain revival. ***Click on image*** to hear the audio of Pastor Poole's 1963 memorial service.

Clair Hutchins, Chicago, IL

Hutchins, who pastored Beulah Temple, was well known as a singer and a preacher. His daughter is Carol Cymbala, the leader of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.

Paul & Lura Grubb, Memphis, TN

Pastors of Faith Temple

Graham Truscott, San Diego, CA

Graham and Pamela Truscott led Restoration Temple in San Diego. Graham authored several books.

William Faupel, Naples, Florida

Devoted 125 pages of his PhD dissertation to the LRM. Past president of the Society for Pentecostal Studies.

Richard Riss, Newark, NJ

Author of Latter Rain: The Latter Rain movement of 1948 and the Mid-Twentieth Century Evangelical Awakening, the most extensive account of the LRM of 1948. Professor of history at Pillar College.

Richard Riss' LRM history

Weak on the Bethesda Missionary Temple part of the story because the author did not have access to most of Bethesda's primary source materials due to a fire at the church in 1962.

More history from Riss

Includes coverage of the Azusa Street revival, the LRM of 1948, and the Charismatic movement.

Riss' article in AG Heritage

*** Click on image *** to access Richard Riss' article entitled, "The New Order of the Latter Rain: A Look at the Revival Movement on Its 40th Anniversary" in the Assemblies of God publication, Heritage (fall 1987 edition). The .pdf link downloads the entire 20-pages of that issue. Riss' article begins on page 15.

Revival Church perspective

The author, Dick Iverson, was the founder of Bible Temple and Portland Bible College in Portland, Oregon. His wife, Edie, attended the Bible college in North Battleford, Saskatchewan.

Daily Devotional by Ivan Q. Spencer

These devotions by Ivan Spencer were first published in The Elim Pentecostal Herald. Included is an editorial he wrote concerning the Latter Rain revival, entitled, "The Custodians" (originally, "Who are the Custodians of the Latter Rain?")

Sees LRM as the precursor to the Charismatic Movement

More than just a recounting of the LRM though, this is Hamon's survey of all of the Church's history.

Canadian LRM backgrounds

The chapters on the LRM were written by William Faupel and Mark Hutchinson.

Glad Tidings, Vancouver, Canada

Site of a revival outbreak in November 1948. Pastor Reg Layzell hosted the Hawtin brothers from Saskatchewan. Myrtle Beall was among those prophesied over.

Nellie & Reg Layzell, Vancouver, BC

Hosted the Hawtin brothers for revival services in 1948. Pastored Glad Tidings Church in Vancouver. Reg was one of the LRM's elder statesmen and was known for his balance, integrity, and his teaching on the "sacrifice of praise."

Hugh & Audrey Layzell, British Columbia

Missionaries to Uganda. Hugh also pastored in Hamilton, Ontario. They authored the book Sons of His Purpose which includes much of the history of the 1948 revival in western Canada.

Kayy Gordon, Nunavut, Canada

Kayy Gordon left her home church (Glad Tidings in Vancouver) at 22 years old to start an effective and enduring mission in the Arctic.

James Routley, Chilliwack, BC

Jim pastored Pentecostal Tabernacle in Chilliwack and was an early associate of George Hawtin and Reg Layzell.

Sharon Orphanage and Schools, North Battleford, Saskatchewan

The site of the initial outbreak of revival in February 1948.

Sharon Orphanage & Schools

*Click on image* to see the original September 1947 letter (it is a .pdf file) from George Hawtin, Percy Hunt, and Herrick Holt announcing the opening of the facilities in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. The facilities were the site of the revival that broke out six months later in February 1948.

The Sharon Star

The Sharon Star was the publication that came from the revival site in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. It is printed monthly to this day. *** Click on image *** to view current and past issues (only as far back as the year 2000, though).

George & Rhoda Hawtin, Saskatchewan

Jim Watt says George was the undisputed leader of the revival outbreak in North Battleford.

Ern & Jessie Hawtin, Saskatchewan

Ern was George Hawtin's brother and also a prominent prophet in North Battleford.

George Warnock, Canada

Author of "The Feast of Tabernacles".

Marie & Jim Watt, Seattle, WA

Jim was one of the original seven elders at the work in North Battleford. He also served for a time as Ern Baxter's secretary.

Milford Kirkpatrick, Saskatchewan

Present at the revival outbreak in North Battleford. He served as a missionary to Japan.